3 LA County sheriff’s deputies killed by explosion at training facility, the agency’s largest loss of life since 1857

KABC, CNN

By Rebekah Riess, Josh Campbell, Emma Tucker, CNN

An explosion at a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department training facility killed three veteran members assigned to the agency’s arson and explosives detail Friday morning – a tragedy that marks the “largest loss of life” at the department since 1857, according to Sheriff Robert Luna.

The explosion is believed to have been an accident. Federal and local investigators began working to determine what led to the explosion after the scene was rendered safe by the Los Angeles Police Department’s bomb squad just after 11 a.m. local time, Luna said at a news conference.

The sheriff’s department’s bomb squad responded to a call in Los Angeles County on Thursday involving an explosive device, which was transported back to the training